Raziel came to a stop, and Lorenx stood next to his travel companion, her breath visible in the cool air. He did not move, Elrian’s eyes locked on the leader of the approaching army.
The tension in the air was palpable, the silence only broken by the distant rumble of thunder and the rustling of leaves.
When they were spotted by the army, the lead horseman changed direction and charged right at them. He stopped his horse ten feet from Elrian, the ground trembling slightly under the beast’s hooves. The horse, a massive war steed, snorted and pawed at the ground, its eyes wild with the scent of battle.
“Did you see what caused the destruction of this forest?” the man spoke, his voice gruff and commanding, like the crack of a whip.
“I did not. We are traveling from the southern village. Whatever it was, I don’t think I would want to be the target of its wrath.”
Elrian allowed a glimmer to dance in his violet eyes, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of his lips. His posture was relaxed, but his muscles were coiled, ready to spring into action.
The man eyed him with suspicion, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “I see. Where are you traveling to?”
“What concern is that of yours?” Elrian challenged the man, his tone sharp and unyielding.
“It is always my concern who travels on my lands.”
“Ah, Lord Erikson. Well, we are simply on our way to make our hand in your gladiator arena.” Elrian chuckled, the sound light and mocking, but his eyes never left Erikson’s.
“Is that so? And who are the fae with you?” Erikson’s attention turned to Raziel, his gaze piercing and cold.
Without thinking, the young fae smirked. “My name, sir, is Raziel Flaren, twelfth son of King Elderak.”
“Oh? A Fae Prince. Are you good with the sword?”
“That is to be determined. I have never tried, Sir.”
“I see. Well, let us see if you are worth even trying. Let us give you a small challenge. Dismount and come over here, boy.”
Raziel looked at Elrian, who just nodded. Lorenx pawed the ground as he dismounted, her eyes locked on Erikson with a fierce intensity. She snorted, a sound filled with disdain, her muscles tensed as if ready to pounce.
He chuckled, “Your pet does not like me.” He dismounted as the rest of his army approached, a wicked expression crossing his face. His men surrounded them, their weapons drawn and glinting in the dim light. Elrian’s expression dropped, his eyes narrowing to slits.
“You have no intention of a fair fight, do you, Erikson?”
“Well, where is the fun in that? I have normal fighters, good fighters, but what I need… is EPIC fighters. So let us see how you do against all of my men. In waves, of course, until you give up. Depending on how many waves you get through will determine your rank in my arena.”
Elrian scowled, his jaw tightening. “I will allow it.”
Five men dismounted and drew their swords, their movements precise and practiced. Raziel’s eyes narrowed, his heart pounding in his chest. “Are you not going to give me a sword?”
Erikson laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “Why would I do that?”
The flesh on his cheeks clenched, and then he smirked. “Is this a duel to the death?”
Erikson shrugged his shoulders, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Not really, but if some die, well, they were not strong enough, right?”
Raziel closed his eyes, not realizing what he was doing. He took a defensive battle pose, his body instinctively moving into position. Erikson laughed at the boy’s antics until a magical aurora built around him, the air crackling with energy.
Raziel’s golden brown eyes opened, and they burned with a sapphire light. He went through the motions as if he had a bow and set of arrows. Erikson smirked, “Does he think this is pretend? I mean, he is going to…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a recurve and quiver obeyed Raziel’s call. The sky darkened slightly, and Elrian smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to just give him a sword? You are about to lose your first round of men in an instant.” Elrian laughed, the sound rich and full.
Erikson’s horse became antsy and started prancing, sensing the rising tension. Raziel’s fingers gripped the fletching of an ancient shard of ash wood. He knocked it and pulled the string taut, the bow humming with ancient magic.
“No, I want to see what happens.” Erikson crossed his arms, his curiosity piqued.
The bow, ready to fire, hummed with ancient magic. Raziel spoke to the bow. “I don’t want to kill them. I just want to take them all down at once.” The runes on the bow lit up, and the palm of his right hand glowed with a long-forgotten power of old.
Erikson raised a brow and realized too late what he had done. Raziel let the bow take its commanded flight. Mid-arch, it split into five arrows, each one crackling with electricity. They hit their targets true but stuck to the warriors, not piercing the armor.
Raziel was confused, he took a step back as the five soldiers advanced on him with menace. Erikson jumped down and stood between the boy and the men. “WAIT.”
The men paused for a moment before taking another step toward Raziel. A bright light flashed, and lightning struck from the sky, the arrows acting as conduits. All five of his men were electrocuted by the sky, their bodies convulsing before collapsing to the ground.
“Fuck, Erikson turned, you did not tell me that he had Aurlien!”
Elrian laughed. “If I had told you, you would have given him a sword. But you would not have had any “fun” in a fair fight.”
Erikson deadpanned at Elrian, “Fine fair enough I did want to ‘see what would happen’.”
Raziel lowered the bow and took a step back. The men writhing on the ground their electrical currents all fucked up and their bodies ceased until the died.
Raziel narrowed his eyes and took a step closer realizing that not only did it kill them, but it absorbed their souls.
The flesh on their bones melted away and the became skeletons laying inside the armor.
The bow hummed and glowed as it absorbed their essence. The sapphire in Raziel’s eyes flashed, reflecting the eerie light. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the disorienting sensation. When he opened them, they glowed with cosmic power that slowly faded back to their normal color. He jumped back, startled. “What the fuck!”
Raziel had never killed a human like this before. The sight was morbid, and the realization hit him hard. He became sick to his stomach, doubling over and vomiting. The acrid smell of burning flesh still lingered in his nostrils, making the nausea worse. The remaining soldiers took a cautious step back, fear evident in their eyes.
Erikson, observing the scene, drew his sword and tossed it over to Raziel. “So, you have a god-killing bow. Let us even the battlefield as it were.”
Raziel, still reeling from the shock, stood up. The bow vanished from his grip, leaving him feeling oddly vulnerable. He looked at the sword lying on the ground in front of him and picked it up, its weight unfamiliar in his hand.
Five more soldiers dismounted, their swords drawn, rushing him without giving him a chance to pull the same bow and arrow trick. Raziel growled, “Five swords against one! How is this ‘even’?” Instinctively, he raised his left arm over his face like a shield.
Erikson visibly hit himself on the forehead. “I should have known better than to challenge a fae.”
He grimaced as all five swords collided with an ancient Fae Shield. Skeletal hands emerged from the shield, grabbing hold of the weapons, causing a haunting ringing that disturbed the soul dwelling inside the shield of the Fae Liche King. The five soldiers were pulled into the shield, forever lost to the realm of the living.
Elrian just laughed. “I think you have found your ‘epic’.”
Erikson growled, “He has yet to actually use the damn sword!” He went to take his sword from Raziel but hesitated when he saw the blue stardust swirling within his eyes. He took a step back and growled, “Give me my sword back.”
“How do I know you won’t use it against me before I have a fair chance?”
“Because I won’t be absorbed into your fucking shield. Now, please, this time it will be a fair fight.” He nodded to his soldier, who brought him a sword. He tossed it to Erikson, who caught it. “Now, make that stupid shield go away.” Elrian smirked and snapped his fingers, sending the shield back to the fae treasury.
Erikson smirked. He raised the sword and rushed Raziel before he could pick up the sword. Raziel, with no other options, raised his right hand above his head in a guard and slammed his eyes shut. The clashing of steel made him open them once more. A glowing astral sword met Erikson’s blade.
Erikson growled, “Give up, boy!”
Raziel, now furious, realized this man could not keep a single promise he made. Erikson stepped back and sheathed his weapon. “You adapt well.”
Elrian laughed, “Erikson, I think you have gone too far.”
Raziel screamed, and a bolt of electricity struck the young prince. His body became charged with cosmic power. He walked toward Erikson with his blade drawn, his eyes glowing with sapphire light. “You want to feel the fear an uneven fight causes? Fine, I shall make your blood curdle as the terror makes your heart stop.”
Erikson raised a brow and took a step back. “Wait,” he tried to get Raziel’s attention, but it was too late. Several warriors dismounted and drew their swords, rushing in between Erikson and Raziel.
Their blades clashed with the fae’s. Sparks liberated from the steel lit the grass on fire. The fire danced and grew as if it had a mind of its own, quickly spreading and circling the army.
Raziel screamed and threw all five of the warriors back with a magical spell.
Hyper-focused, his energy on Erikson, Raziel ran at him with sword drawn. Erikson, not prepared for the force of the blow, slid backward.
His heels dug into the ground, but it did not help. Grass and dirt slid with him.
“Fuck,” Erikson muttered. It took all his might to fight back, their swords clanging, the fire spreading. More of his men joined the battle, but none could land a hit on Raziel.
Erikson smirked and swung his foot to trip the fae. Raziel knew he was outnumbered in this insanely unfair fight.
He jumped and did a backflip, diving into one of the men’s shadows. The battlefield fell silent as everyone stopped fighting and looked around, bewildered. Erikson, panting heavily, demanded, “Where did he go?”
Elrian just laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the tense air. “To turn your unfair fight on you.”
Every shadow of every creature against Raziel came to life, attacking the warrior it was attached to. The shadows of the horses transformed into nightmares, devouring the steeds and causing every last mounted rider to fall to the ground as their mounts were pulled into their own shadows by haunting, nightmarish eyes.
Just as Raziel had promised, fear filled the veins of the army, even Erikson’s, as his shadow grew taller and more menacing than the rest.
A voice, dark and mocking, whispered, “Oh Erikson, your fears taste so good. But I shall not allow them to fight you. I wish to do that myself.”
Raziel now stood before Erikson, his eyes blazing an undead crimson hue. “I yield! My deepest apologies, my Fae Prince. I will gladly offer you a place in my arena. You will add the element of epic, just as I have been searching for.”
Raziel stopped and looked at Elrian, who simply nodded his head. The shadows retreated back to their rightful places, but those who had been injured by their shadows burst into flames and died, their screams echoing in the night.
“Erikson, you wanted to ‘see what would happen,’ and now you are returning home with twenty-five out of one hundred men.”
Lorenx trotted up to Raziel. She shifted into her humanoid form and caught him as he passed out.
Elrian dismounted and walked over to Raziel, taking him in his arms and nodding to Lorenx.
She shifted again into a tall, eight-foot monster with black fluffy fur, four eyes, and multiple arms. She took Raziel and growled at Erikson.
There was visible shock on the Lord’s face. When he recovered, he simply laughed. “Well, that was unexpected.”
